The State of Florida is taking new measures to ensure that kids, parents and schools are notified in a timely manner in case of an emergency. With schools all over the state receiving false threats, officials are tired and want to make a change. There have been numerous fatal school shootings in Florida. In 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland experienced a mass shooting where 17 people lost their lives. In June of 2024, demolition started on the school building.
According to usnews.com, from 2018 to 2023, 72 people were wounded or killed in school shootings in the Florida.
HB 1473, which went into effect July 1, focuses on school safety. The bill establishes the requirements for school guardian programs, as well as revising school safety requirements for the Department of Education, school districts and school safety specialists.
In November, it was established that all parents and students go through training for the FortifyFL app. The FortifyFL app is a software that allows parents and students to report any information they have anonymously. It gives you two options: to either report a tip or to call 911 in case of an emergency.
Although the software is made for protection, officials have been seeing a problem with false information leading to a more significant issue. Reporting false tips can cause even more problems for local law enforcement.
With the FortifyFL app in place and all of the false threats that some parents and students are sending in, it’s crucial now more than ever that those people be held accountable for their actions.
With Florida now finding a solid way to ensure that school environments are safe with the FortifyFL app, there have been questions about parents potentially being penalized for their kids’ actions.
Some students have been making false threats, and if parents were to know about any of this activity, they could also be penalized along with their child.
During a press conference, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood expressed his feelings about the rising number of false school threats.
“This is absolutely out of control, and it ends now. Fifty-four and counting tips came into FortifyFL last night. That means investigators in the school district have been running around to investigate these tips, which are turning out to be false,” Chitwood said during the press conference.
In Hialeah, someone made a false threat at Hialeah Senior High School, saying that there was a bomb and gun on campus. On Monday morning, the school went into lockdown. After law enforcement thoroughly investigated, it was determined that the threat was, in fact, false.
To continue to keep a safe environment for all schools, it’s essential to continue to implement safety measures and hold everyone accountable.